This series is an 8-week relationship, healthy bodies, and human development education program for Kindergarten-2nd graders.
A mandatory orientation for families and kids will take place Saturday March 2 from 1-3.
Classes for kids begin Saturday March 9 and run from 1-3 p.m. Youth will get the most out of the class if they attend all sessions.
The final class, April 27, will involve children AND their adults exploring what the kids have learned and celebrating their participation in the class.
If you are interested in this program for your child, please register as soon as possible as there are a limited number of spots available. Registration closes on Feb. 29 at midnight,
Instruction will take place for the first hour and 15 minutes. The last 45 minutes will be free play for the kids so guardians can get some things done! This series is free and snacks will be provided.
The Our Whole Lives (OWL) sexuality education curriculum is age-appropriate, trauma-informed, and inclusive and affirming.
In this series children learn about setting and respecting boundaries, different kinds of families (foster, adoptive, birth, etc.), the bare bones of human creation and development (because we all started in essentially the same ways), and how we all learn and grow.
OWL programs nurture and support the three Rs of childhood sexuality education--respect, relationships, and responsibility--by helping children increase self-respect and respect for others, build relationships with people of all genders and with many kinds of families, and understand their responsibilities regarding their own health and that of others.
It helps children:
Strengthen and support their sense of self and self-esteem.
Recognize and appreciate their bodies as good and beautiful, private and their own.
Gain understanding and accurate, age-appropriate information about human bodies and reproduction.
Develop more effective communication skills.
Learn to make decisions that respect themselves and others and that anticipate possible consequences.
Learn about healthy habits and what to do when they don’t feel safe or respected.
OWL engages families in open communication about life questions and reinforces guardians’ role as their children’s most important sexuality educators.
Our Whole Lives uses approaches that work. The curriculum is based on the Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education produced by the National Guidelines Task Force, a group of leading health, education, and sexuality professionals assembled by the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S. (SIECUS).
Although developed by two religious organizations, Our Whole Lives is a secular program that contains no religious references or doctrine.
Facilitators will communicate with guardians throughout the course, and guardians are welcome to ask questions of the facilitators.
This program is funded in part by Ballad Health's Community Health Improvement (CHI) program. CHI partners with organizations in Northeast TN and Southwest VA to improve health outcomes for children and families.